Sanhedrin 90B

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Text Excerpt

וכתיב: ״ויהי לו כן וירמסו אתו העם בשער וימת״. ודילמא קללת אלישע גרמה ליה? דאמר רב יהודה אמר רב: קללת חכם, אפילו על חנם היא באה. אם כן, לכתוב קרא: ״וירמסוהו וימת״. מאי ״בשער״? על עסקי שער.

And it is written: “And it was for him so, and the people trampled him in the gate, and he died” (II Kings 7:20). The Talmud challenges: Perhaps it was the curse of Elisha that caused the officer to die in that manner, not the principle of punishment measure for measure for his lack of belief, as Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: The curse of a Sage, even if baseless, comes to be fulfilled? This is all the more so true concerning the curse of Elisha, which was warranted. The Talmud answers: If so, let the verse write: And they trampled him and he died. What does the term “in the gate” serve to teach? It teaches that he died over matters relating to the gate [sha’ar]. It was for the cynical dismissal of the prophecy of Elisha that the officer voiced at the city gate that he was punished measure for measure and was trampled at the city gate.

אמר רבי יוחנן: מניין לתחיית המתים מן התורה? שנאמר: ״ונתתם ממנו [את] תרומת ה׳ לאהרן הכהן״. וכי אהרן לעולם קיים? והלא לא נכנס לארץ ישראל שנותנין לו תרומה! אלא מלמד שעתיד לחיות, וישראל נותנין לו תרומה. מכאן לתחיית המתים מן התורה.

§ R' Yoḥanan says: From where is the resurrection of the dead derived from the Torah? It is derived from this verse, as it is stated with regard to teruma of the tithe: “And you should give the teruma of YHWH to Aaron the priest” (Numbers 18:28). And does Aaron exist forever so that one can fulfill the mitzva by giving him the teruma of the tithe? But is it not so that Aaron did not enter Eretz Yisrael, the only place where the people would give him teruma? Rather, the verse teaches that Aaron is destined to live in the future and the Jewish people will give him teruma. From here it is derived that the resurrection of the dead is from the Torah.

Text data via Sefaria: William Davidson Edition - English and William Davidson Edition - Vocalized Aramaic, CC-BY-NC; edition provenance: Koren. Display terminology has been modernized for readability.